The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1887-11-16
TALMAGEs SERMON.
An Interesting Discourse Evolved
From "Concord and Discord."
The Laying of the worlds Cornerstone
and the Grand Peace Jubiiee-s'n the
Harsh Discord In the Orchestra
of the Universe.

The subject of recent sermon delivered
by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage at the Brook
lyn Tabernacle wN concord ana DIS
rord.D predicated on the following text;
pvho laid the cornerstone thereof when the
norpinp stars sang together. JOB xxxyli., Vi.
DR. Talmage said: We have all seen
the ceremony at the laying Of the corner
stone of church, asylum or Masonic tenn
ple. Into the hollow Of the stone were
placed scrolls Of history and important
documents, to be suggestive II, one or two
hundred wears after, the building should
10 dostro,,ad Inv fire or torn down. We
remember the silver trowel or iron ham.
,ner that smote the square piece OF granite
into sanctfty. We remember some vener-
able man who presided, welding the
trowel or hammer. We remember also
the music. as the choir stood on the scat
tered stones aud timber Of the building
about TO he constructed. The leaves Of
the note-book luttered in the wind, and
we're turned over with great rustling,
and we remember how the bass, barytone,
tenor, contralto and soprano voices COM
mingled. They had for many days been
rehearsing the special programme that it
might be worthy of the cornerstone lay
Ing.
In nv text the poet of Uz calls us TO
prauder ceremony the laying OF the
foundation of this great temple ola world.
The cornerstone was block of light aud
the trowel was of celestial crystal All
about and on the emhankments of cloud
stood the angelic ehoristers, unrolling
their librettos OF overture, and other
worlds clapped shining cymbals while
the ceremony went on, and God, the
arehitect.by stroke Of light after stroke OF
light dedicated this great cathedral OF
world. with mountains for pillars, aud
the sky for frescoed ceiling, and flower
ing fields for floor, and sunrise and mid
night aurora for upholstery.
Who laid the cornerstone thereof, when the
morning stars seng together
The fact is that the whole universe
was a complete cadence, an unbroken
dithyramb, musical portfolio. The great
sheet OF immensely had been spread out,
and written on it were the stars, the
smaller OF them minims, the larger of
them sustained notes. The meteors
marked the staccato passages, the whole
heavens a gamut. with all sounds, into
inaftoas-sua modulatlons, the space be.
tween tho worlds a musical interval,
trembling Of stellar light, a quaver, the
thunder bass cleft the wind among the
trees q treble clef. This is the way God
made all things perfect harmony.
But one day harp-string snapped in
the great orchestra. One day a voice
sounded ont Of tune. One day a dis
cord, harsh and terrific, grated upon the
glorious antiphone. 1t was sin that made
the dissonance, and that harsh discord
has been sounding through the centuries.
All the work OF Christians, and philan-
tbropists, and reformers of all ages is to
stop that discord, and get all things back
into the perfect harmony which was
heard at the laying of the cornerstone,
when the morning stars sang together.
Before | get through, il / am divineiy
helped, wiki make it plain that sin is
tliscord and righteousness Is harmony.
That things in general are out of tune Is
as plain as to a musicians ear Is the UNI
happy clash of ciarionet and bassoon in
an orchestral rendering.
Tacworld's health out of tune. Weak
ing and the atmosphere in collision, dis
ordered eye and MONDAY light in a quar-
rel, rheumatic limb and damp weather in
a struggle, neuralgias, and pneumonias,
and consumptions, and epilepsies in
flocks swoop upon neighborhoods and
cities. Where YOU find one person with
alert ear, and easy respiration, and regu-
lar pulsation, and supple limb, and prime
digestion, and steady nerves, you find a
hundred who have to be very careful be-
cause this, or that, or the other physical
function is disordered.
The human intellect out of tune: The
Judgment wrongly swerved, or the
memory leaky, or the will weak, or the
temper inflammable, and the well-bal-
nnced mind exceptional. Domestic life
out Of tune: Only here and there con-
jugal outbreak of incompatibility OF
temper through the divorce courts. or a
filial outbreak about fathers will
through the surrogate's court, or a case OF
wife-beating or husband poison ing
through the criminal courts, but thousands
of families with June outside and January
within.
Society out Of tune: Labor and capital,
sheir hands on each others throat. Spirit
of caste keeping those down in the social
scale in struggle to get up, and putting
those who are up in anxiety lest they have
to come down. No wonder the old piano.
forte of society is oil out of tune, when
hypocrisy, and lying, and subterfuge, and
double dealing, and sycophancy, and
chariatanism and revenge have for six
luOusdnu years uceH DhHkluS away 1T thc
keys and stamping the pedals.
On ali sides there IL "a perpetual ship
wreck OF harmonies. Nations in discord
Without realizing it, SO wrong Is the feel
ing Of nation for nation that the symbols
chosen are fierce and destructive. In
this country, where our skies are full
of robins aud doves, and morn
ing larks, ~w-sasss. our national symbol,
fierce and filthy eagle, as immoral bird
as can be found in all the pathological
catalogues. In Great Britain where they
have lambs and fallow deer. their symbol
Is the merciless lion. In Russia, where,
from between her frozen north and bloom.
ing south, all kindly beasts dwell, they
choose the growing bear, and in the
worlds heraidry fayorite figure is the
dragon, which Is n winged serpent,
forocious and beautiful.
And so fond Is the world OF contention
that we climb out through the heavens
and bapti2e one OF the other planets with
tho spirit OF battle and call Il Mars after
the god OF war, and we give to the eighth
sign of the zodiac the name OF tho
scorpion, creature which is chiefly eele-
Grated for its deadly sting. But, after all,
shese symbols are expressive OF the way
aation feels toward nation. Discord wide
as the continent and bridging the seas. ]
suppose you have noticed how warmly In
love dry goods stores are with other dry
goods stores, and how highly grocery.
men think OF the sugars of
the grocerymen on the same block.
And 10 what a eulogistic way allopathic
and homeopathic doctors speak OF
each other, and how ministers will some
times put ministers on their beautiful
cooking instrument which the English
call spit, an iron roller with spikes on il
and turned by a crank before hot fire,
and then If the minister being roasted
cries out against it, the men who are turn.
lug him say, Hush, brotheri we are turn.
ing this pit for the glory OF God and the
good Of your soul, and you must be quiet
while we close the service with:
BEST be the Tie that binds
flNr hanr ~ In c.nrnaiAar. t..,.n